Collaborative Literacy and SIPPS Gain Approval in Wisconsin with Eligibility for Partial Reimbursement

MADISON, July 2026 — Collaborative Classroom is pleased to announce that Collaborative Literacy, a comprehensive curriculum composed of Being a Reader^TM, Second Edition and Being a Writer^TM, Third Edition, along with SIPPS^®, Fifth Edition, an evidence-based solution for foundational skills acquisition, have been approved by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. These programs meet all state and federal requirements and are included in the Early Literacy Curriculum Council Curriculum List. School districts that purchase curricula from this list are eligible for a partial reimbursement grant.

“We’re delighted to see both Collaborative Literacy and SIPPS included on the list of approved curricula for educators in Wisconsin, especially as our current district partners across the state experience transformative literacy outcomes using these programs,” said Kelly Stuart, CEO and President of Collaborative Classroom. “Connecting reading and writing, as Collaborative Literacy does, and using the power of SIPPS to teach foundational skills for new and striving readers provide educators with all the tools they need to ensure their students become strong, confident readers and writers.

Both Collaborative Literacy and SIPPS follow research-based practices and meet the requirements in Wisconsin’s Act 20 for “science-based early reading instruction.” SIPPS provides a structured-literacy approach to instruction through explicit routines focused on phonological awareness, spelling–sound correspondence, and high-frequency words. Collaborative Literacy is a research-grounded program built on a clear continuum of literacy development integrating literacy science, learning science, and instructional science to form a comprehensive K–5 curriculum.

“Inclusion on this curriculum list, along with the eligibility for a partial reimbursement grant, means that more districts in Wisconsin can confidently choose Collaborative Literacy and SIPPS for a seamless connection between reading and writing activities across all grade levels, including differentiated instruction that will ensure every student will have the solid foundational literacy skills they need to fulfill their potential.” —Kari Steck, Senior Manager of Educational Partnerships for Wisconsin.

Learn about approved Collaborative Classroom curricula in Wisconsin: https://www.collaborativeclassroom.org/wisconsin/

About Collaborative Literacy

Being a Reader and Being a Writer are two dynamic programs that together make up the comprehensive K–5 curriculum, Collaborative Literacy. Collaborative Literacy weaves together the latest research in literacy and learning, integrated social skills development, and embedded professional learning.

Key features of Collaborative Literacy’s comprehensive instruction include:

• Comprehensive, research-based reading instruction that systematically develops both foundational skills and comprehension.
• Whole-class, student-centered writing instruction that focuses on process and conventions across genres.
• High-quality, high-interest fiction and nonfiction texts selected to support the instructional focus of each lesson and engage all students.
• Knowledge building through the integration of reading and writing experiences. Students actively foster their curiosity, build their knowledge, and become experts on topics that truly matter to them.
• English learner pre-teaching, extension, and point-of-need supports that help teachers provide scaffolding and prepare English learners to participate confidently in lessons.
• Integrated social skills development that creates a supportive classroom community and nurtures students’ sense of responsibility for their own learning and behavior.
• Embedded, continuous professional learning that empowers teachers to expand their content knowledge and deepen their pedagogical expertise.
• Formative and summative assessments that support instructional decision-making for the class, groups of students with similar points of need, and individual students.

About SIPPS

SIPPS is an evidence-based, systematic decoding program that helps new and striving readers in grades K–12 quickly develop the accuracy and automaticity needed for fluent, independent reading.

With its structured-literacy approach to foundational skills instruction, SIPPS provides explicit, differentiated instructional routines focused on phonological and phonemic awareness, spelling–sound correspondence, and high-frequency words. Taught to small groups of students with similar needs, SIPPS makes the most of precious instructional time for every student.

Backed by third-party studies and nationally recognized, the SIPPS program is:

• Aligned with the science of reading
• Designed to accelerate and solidify students’ mastery of foundational skills
• Flexible, adaptable, differentiated, and MTSS-aligned for use across all three tiers of instruction
• Proven effective with young readers (K–3) as well as older striving readers (4–12)

About Collaborative Classroom

Collaborative Classroom is a mission-driven, nonprofit organization committed to ensuring that all students become readers, writers, and thinkers who learn from, care for, and respect one another. 

As one of the few nonprofit organizations in the country that develop, disseminate, and implement curriculum at scale, Collaborative Classroom is dedicated to putting students, educators, and research at the center of every decision and providing personalized, cutting-edge implementation support for the schools and students it serves.

The organization’s evidence-based programs and innovative professional learning are used by educators in all 50 states in more than a thousand school districts. Collaborative Classroom’s portfolio of solutions spans preschool and prekindergarten through grade 8, with some curricula extending through grades 9–12. 

Since the organization’s founding, Collaborative Classroom’s work has reached more than 10 million students and 440,000 educators across the country, developing fluent readers and skilled writers, supporting instructional equity, transforming discipline practices, and bolstering student and teacher engagement. 

Learn more about Collaborative Classroom at collaborativeclassroom.org.